First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the presentation and discussion of the National Strategy for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap until 2030.
The presentation was attended by First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko and representatives of relevant ministries.
"Back in 2020, Ukraine acceded to the Biarritz Partnership. It envisages many different challenges to create equality in the country, and one of them is to reduce the gender pay gap. The government of Ukraine took on this commitment. At that time, the gender pay gap averaged 20.4%. And over the next year, it was slightly reduced to 18.6%. Unfortunately, the full-scale Russian invasion put all our endeavors and the development of the whole country on hold. The same happened with gender equality," the President's wife noted.
Olena Zelenska emphasized that Ukrainian women are working and represented in all sectors of the economy during the Russian invasion, but the pay gap between them and men remains.
"Our goal is to change the situation. We are focused on making the trend of reducing the gender pay gap sustainable and irreversible. To do this, we need to overcome stereotypes of employers, women and society in general regarding professions. Modernize labor legislation to ensure equal pay. Help women increase their confidence that they can hold leadership positions, receive high salaries, and be economically independent," added Yulia Svyrydenko.
The plan for the implementation of the National Strategy for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap in Ukraine for the period up to 2030, in particular, provides for:
1. Overcoming stereotypes and discrimination based on gender.
A large-scale information campaign for women called "Of Course You Can" is planned to convince them that they are capable of receiving higher remuneration for their work. It is also planned to implement an educational campaign to raise women's awareness of their rights and opportunities, which they can use to improve their professional level, acquire a new, more demanded specialty in the labor market, in particular in the STEM category, and, accordingly, a better-paid job, and start or develop their own business in a short time. It is also proposed to introduce gender audits and exchange of best practices for ensuring gender equality in the workplace.
2. Improving legislation on equal pay.
Labor legislation will be modernized: the new version of the Labor Law introduces the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, regardless of gender, which will increase the effectiveness of judicial protection. Inspections by the State Labor Service based on complaints about gender-based pay discrimination will be introduced. A national methodology for gender-neutral job evaluation and training for labor inspectors and employers will also be developed.
3. Creating conditions for a convenient combination of family and professional duties.
In particular, it is proposed to facilitate the creation and operation of public and private kindergartens, and to support organizations dealing with older children (Plast, Ukrainian Leadership Academy, etc.) at the state level. It is planned to improve labor legislation to ensure equal treatment of employees with family duties. It is planned to introduce training programs for employers to assist employees in combining professional and family duties.
"Let’s do everything possible to ensure that our heroic women on all fronts feel equality not only in duties and responsibilities, but also in opportunities and justice. It is the duty of the state - not only legal, but also moral - to be the best country for each of our people," the President's wife emphasized.